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Lord, open our hearts and open our minds by the power of your Holy Spirit, that, as the Scriptures are read and your Word proclaimed, we may hear with joy what you have to say to us today. Amen.

Luke 15: 1 – 7

Start with:  The Pharisees were listening… They were the target of Jesus’ parables in this Luke passage!

We gather at Sunrise to keep the Gospel real … We gather to pray God’s kingdom into being…

We gather because we have a vision that impacts the whole world …

We gather because together we can find the strength to proclaim Christ in the whole of our days…

We gather at Sunrise to make a difference through Christ …

We gather at Sunrise because we know That our world and our lives need genuine Christian faith… Not pretend Christianity.

John Blake reporting for CNN (he is quoting Kendra Dean’s research in a book “Almost Christian.”

Dean says more American teenagers are embracing what she calls "moralistic therapeutic deism." Translation: It's a watered-down faith that portrays God as a "divine therapist" whose chief goal is to boost people's self-esteem

"If this is the God they're seeing in church, they are right to leave us in the dust," Dean says. "Churches don't give them enough to be passionate about."

No matter their background, Dean says committed Christian teens share four traits: They have a personal story about God they can share, a deep connection to a faith community, a sense of purpose and a sense of hope about their future.

Today, Sunrise People … Let us claim our passion for our GOD who is not our MORALISTIC THERAPUTIC DEITI!  Instead let’s listen to Jesus speak to Pharisees, men and women of Questionable reputation, and Disciples:

The flow of this passage …

Jesus more. . .

Minister: Rev. Olon M. Lindemood